Singed
by shokabuku
Summary: "Am I dying?" "I got ya."


Somebody said "Harper" and my poor brain turned to mush...so here you go...  
  
All standard disclaimers and other yaddah apply...not mine, too bad, they'd be treated much better and undoubtedly get off more...blah, blah, blah.  
  
The two little spoilers here are so teeny-weeny that if you spot them, you're even more of an Andromeda geek than I am.and that's saying a bunch, baby! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- SINGED by shokabuku  
  
I awoke to burning eyes, itching and watering. My throat seized. I could not breathe. Did Death itself stalk me? Whoa, Seamus.chill your britches, buddy, that's a really stupid question to ask yourself. Magog, Dragans, Gerentex, zero-G welding, bizarre High Guard relics, oh look.more Magog, Dragans.huh, there seems to be a bit of a trend here.shit, still can't breathe.  
  
I can't really see what's going on around me, but I'd know Beka anywhere by smell. So many years together.and her being the first truly clean thing I'd ever gotten to smell my whole life up to that point. Fresh and clean, just like space itself.pale and dark.  
  
Her voice sounds worried, "Harper, dammit.breathe! Here," I feel her lift my head, and then I feel plastic over my face.what the?.oh, my old friend the oxygen mask, "Seamus Zelazny Harper." uh-oh, she's pissed.she never uses my whole name unless she's completely pissed off at me.huh, wonder what I did now? "Please, come on."  
  
I turn my eyes towards her voice, but I still can't see her clearly. What the hell happened to me? She shakes my shoulders hard, pulling me up towards her, and then WHAM! she throws me back down.whatever air I had in me is gone now.but, I drag in a new breath, filled with nothing but sweet oxygen.it's too much, too much.don't you know that will make me dizzy? Come on, you know this.  
  
"Beka?" Was that little gasp my voice? I feel her hand in my hair, stroking it back away from my forehead. "Breathe, you little moron.just shut up and breathe for a bit, ok?" She sounds relieved.what's wrong with me now? Am I sick again, or.  
  
"Am I dying?" I croak out at her. She shushes me with her fingers on my mouth over the mask. "Not anymore, you're not. Just relax and rest, Seamus. I got you."  
  
How can I resist that? I try to look at her again, but she just tells me to close my eyes. Yep, she's got me.  
  
"And how is he now?" Dylan asked, concerned.  
  
"About as good as you'd expect, given that the whole place pretty much fell on him." Beka ran her hand through her hair, "He's got a broken arm, a couple of nasty burns, a not-so-pretty concussion." She looked away from the viewscreen.  
  
"What else, Beka?"  
  
"I think he's having trouble seeing.he was having a hard time tracking me while I was bullying him into breathing again." She sighed heavily. "I think that's just a byproduct of the concussion, but we'll check it out more once we're back on Andromeda."  
  
"I still don't understand this.why in hell would he fling himself into a burning building like that.did he know somebody there.were others in danger?" Dylan looked at Beka with his patented frustrated frown. "Tell me again what happened."  
  
"Dylan, I've told you four times already.and the last time I had the Maru record it. Look at the playback before we get there." She started to leave the cockpit, turning to look at him over her shoulder, "We'll be there soon."  
  
"Harper? Come on, baby, show me that smile." Beka crooned as she wiped the soot and smoke from Harper's face and body. He tossed his head from side to side every once in awhile, but remained unconscious.  
  
Beka smiled down at him, "You are a total freak, Harper. I can't understand why you'd do that." She gently peeled away bits of his clothing that were stuck to his skin from the heat and the burns. "After all this time, you have to know that you mean more to me than my stupid brother ever did." She carefully shifted him to lift away what was left of his shirt and pants.  
  
Turning to grab a knife, she worked to cut his slightly melted boots off his feet. "Even if he really had been there.which he wasn't, that was just his trap for me.I would rather have him dead than see you like this." Beka bit her lip, trying not to cry. She couldn't smother a choked sob.  
  
"S'okay, boss," Harper slurred, trying to open his gritty eyes. "I'll live."  
  
"Harper, I'm so sorry. I should have known he was up to no good.that's all Rafe ever does.I'm sorry." Beka turned from him, shoulders shaking. In a very tiny voice, she said, "You should have let me go in there."  
  
Harper lifted his unbroken arm to put a hand on her wrist. She turned back to him and tried to smile, wiping the tears from her eyes. She grasped his hand in hers, holding on tight, not letting go.  
  
"Don't worry, Beka." Harper said weakly. "Andromeda and I have this deal." he licked his dry lips, and Beka gave him a drink from a squeeze bottle, watching him swallow painfully. "We promised to fix each other."  
  
Beka snorted out a laugh, "Well, I should hope so. By now, she owes you, huh?"  
  
Harper's mouth curved into a lopsided grin, "Oh yeah, she owes me big time, boss." He coughed harshly into the oxygen mask, blinking his eyes furiously to try and clear them of the smoke. "No sweat, Beka.she'll fix me up." his eyes closing, and his words slurring, "good as new."  
  
Beka leaned down and kissed his forehead, "Now I owe you big time too." 


End file.
